


What About World Peace?

by halestrom



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Kidfic, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sad with a Happy Ending, Temporary Character Death, past Marci Stahl/Foggy Nelson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29648163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halestrom/pseuds/halestrom
Summary: Five years after Midland Circle dropped on top of Matt, Foggy makes a wish that’ll change their lives forever.
Relationships: Matt Murdock/Franklin "Foggy" Nelson
Comments: 5
Kudos: 37





	What About World Peace?

“So she broke up with you?”

Foggy nodded. He heard Karen make a sympathetic noise, and a hand touched his arm. He managed a smile as he turned his head, shrugging his shoulders. “Marci is a queen, and I am but a lowly jester, cursed to live my days out alone and unloved.”

He knew that was dramatic, but he was six shots of whiskey in, and Josie was giving him a sympathetic look. He hated those looks, especially from Josie. Josie was supposed to give him another shot and tell him to get his shit together with her eyebrows. She wasn’t supposed to pat his arm and slide him another shot with a sad face.

She had been doing that since Matt had died, and even five years later, Foggy still felt uncomfortable with it. He couldn’t blame her. There were so few familiar faces these days that he took what he could.

“What about MJ?” Karen asked, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Foggy swallowed. “We’re switching every other week. We’ve already drawn up a custody agreement and signed it.”

He rubbed his fingers through the condensation left on the bar, watching the water as he spread it away. MJ was one of the few bright spots in the past few years, an accident for sure, but a loved one regardless. Despite being four, little MJ was a bright spot, all smiles and demands for hugs from everyone he met.

“How adult of you,” Karen said. “Is he with Marci tonight?”

Foggy nodded. “Yeah. I get tonight to mope, then she gets tomorrow, and I’ll have him, and then she’s going to start looking for an apartment.”

“How very adult of you,” Karen said softly.

Foggy snorted. “Not like we have a choice. MJ’s three, the last thing he needs is for us to be assholes about it.”

“And you saw it coming.”

Foggy sighed. “And we saw it coming, right around the time we found out Marci was pregnant.”

Karen hummed, and Foggy felt like an asshole as, not for the first time, he wished that Matt was around. Karen was one of his best friends, and she had been one of his staunchest supporters ever since he became a DA. But she wasn’t Matt, and Foggy missed Matt like he missed a limb. Five years later and he still couldn’t get the sight of everyone walking into the room at the precinct, everyone except Matt.

Foggy sighed again, taking the whiskey Josie handed him with a smile. He rolled this one in his hands, looking around the bar that wasn’t as empty as it should be on a Tuesday night.

“She met someone,” he said softly. “I’m not going to stand in the way of her happiness.”

Karen sighed and lifted her head. “You can be sad, you know.”

“Isn’t that why I’m drinking my sorrows away?” Foggy asked, lifting the glass.

Karen lifted her class. “To sorrows. May they drown forever.”

Foggy clinked his glass against hers before setting it down, not wanting to drink too much more before he headed home. MJ had a habit of sitting up and waiting for him, wanting to make sure he got home safe. Foggy tried not to think about how Matt had done the same thing in college, wanting to make sure Foggy got back from some frat party.

“What’s he like?” Karen asked.

Foggy smiled. “ _She_ is a dentist in Hell’s Kitchen, works by day, and spends the weekend doing free checkups at the clinic. She loves kids, is pretty much the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot and thinks that what Marci and I did was sweet and smart.”

He paused for it second, rolling the glass between his fingers. “She also said if Marci wanted to keep living with me, then she wouldn’t mind.”

“That’s…” Karen seemed to be speechless, and it made Foggy smile wider. Few things made Karen Page speechless. “That’s well. That is that.”

Foggy snorted. “It really is. I knew Marci was interested in someone, but she told me and then invited Daphne to meet me for dinner. It was interesting.”

“And MJ?”

“Hasn’t met her yet. We don’t want to introduce her until he’s gotten used to the idea of Marci and me being separated,” Foggy explained. “We don’t want him to associate Daphne with our separation.”

“Have you told him?”

Foggy nodded. “Yeah, we did earlier. Right now, he’s excited that he’s getting two bedrooms.”

Sometimes Foggy was sure that if MJ hadn’t been in the picture, he wouldn’t have been doing as well as he was. MJ made the world a lot brighter.

Foggy sighed again and finally gave in to the inevitable, drinking the last of his drink. “Marce and I have decided that we’re going to do a family dinner once a week, just the three of us no matter what. And we’re going to try and have a bigger dinner with Daphne and whoever…”

He trailed off. He knew Marci wanted him to find someone, and he knew he should. He should pack up and move on because Matt was gone. But Foggy had never learned how to put down a torch, especially the one he carried for Matt.

“Whoever you date,” Karen finished for him softly, her arm curling around his. “You ever going to?”

“Gonna leave Castle and make an honest man out of me?” he joked, smiling wider when she laughed softly.

“He might not kill you if I did. He likes you,” Karen teased. “More than he likes most people.”

“High praise,” Foggy muttered. “Where is he these days?”

Karen hummed and didn’t say anything. Foggy knew she would tell him if he pressed. Karen knew he wouldn’t use the knowledge against Castle. But Foggy was the DA, and neither of them wanted Foggy to end up in that position. Foggy knew he was doing good in the city, his association with the Defenders, Daredevil, and taking down Fisk had helped him. They knew he was a good person or that he tried to be.

“He’s knitting,” Karen said instead.

“Bullshit.”

“No lie. He’s making scarves for everyone,” Karen said with a smile. “For Christmas. He did MJ’s first.”

Frank Castle might be a wanted criminal, but Uncle Frankie was MJ’s favorite babysitter. Foggy loved him for it, he knew precisely how far Castle would go to protect his kid, and he appreciated it.

“Tell him I want mine in blue. I look amazing in blue,” Foggy said. “Actually, any jewel tone, they work really well with my skin tone and hair.”

“It’s red,” Karen said softly, and instantly Foggy felt something tighten in the back of his throat. “He’s still a dick.”

“Have you talked to Colleen lately?” Foggy asked softly, wanting to change the subject. He agreed with Karen, Castle was a dick. He just didn’t want to talk about Matt. “Or Luke?”

Karen shook her head. “No, they’ve been busy dealing with the orphanage.”

“Right,” he said, rubbing a hand over his face. Using the money Matt for some reason, had left him, which he had gotten from Elektra when she had died the first time, to open up an orphanage had been the best thing to do. It had also helped his bid for DA three years ago.

“Trish wants me to run for mayor.”

“I know,” Karen said. “What did you tell her?”

“To fuck off,” Foggy replied. “I don’t want it, period. I’m fine being the DA. I like that I can help people and work to keep things running as smoothly as possible, but I don’t want to deal with the whole city. That’s a level of bullshit that I don’t need.”

Karen hummed and signaled Josie, asking for two beers instead of another shot. Foggy took it with a smile, sliding his card over to close the tab. He winked at Josie for old time's sakes, grinning when she rolled her eyes at him.

“You’d be good at it,” Karen said, and Foggy shook his head before she could continue.

“Maybe, but I’m busy enough as it is now, and I don’t want to miss any more time with MJ. When he’s an adult and doesn’t want to be around me anymore because I’m not cool enough, then we can talk,” Foggy said, already dreading the day when MJ decided he was too cool for his old man.

Karen looked like she wanted to argue, but a look from Foggy shut her up. Three years as the DA had dried up any lingering performance issues he had. He was good at his job; he was a fantastic lawyer, and he could argue his way out of almost anything these days.

“You’re already uncool,” Karen said. “You should grow your hair out again.”

Foggy ran a hand through the hair he kept short these days and shook his head. “Nah, the upkeep is a bitch. You think it was easy keeping it that length and luxurious?”

Karen giggled and finished off the last of her beer. Foggy looked down at his half-full glass and sighed, finishing it off as well before taking the card Josie handed back to him. He signed and tipped like he always did, more than Josie would accept, but he would keep trying. This was one of the few places he had left with nothing but good memories of Matt, and he couldn’t let it go.

He ran a hand over the bar, the same bar, and the same seat when he and Matt had left L&Z and struck out on their own. He sighed and looked over at Karen, to a smile that was just as bright, but the shape was wrong.

“C’mon Page, let’s get you home before your knight in bloody armor comes for you,” Foggy said, sliding off the barstool and pulling on his coat. He wrapped his scarf around his neck, warding off the chilly New York air, and held out an arm. She hooked her arm through his, and they left, stumbling only slightly on the pavement.

The moon was bright the night before the full moon, and the streetlights seemed brighter than usual, the shadows less scary. Foggy had grown up in Hell’s Kitchen and had always had an appreciation for its darker sides, but they seemed to be less dangerous these days. The Defenders, and Castle, kept Hell’s Kitchen safer in memory of Matt and Foggy was forever thankful to them.

He looked up out of habit, still expecting to see a silhouette there, but there was nothing. “I really fucking miss him,” he found himself saying.

Perhaps he had drunk more than he had anticipated.

Karen squeezed his arm. “Me too,” she said softly, her voice thick.

Foggy dropped his head down to look at the pavement as they walked, and for a brief second, he felt like there were eyes on him, but he knew it was his imagination, and if he looked up, there’d be nothing but buildings and the moon in the sky.

* * *

Waking up to a forty pounds of four year old on his stomach wasn’t a new occurrence but doing it with a slight hangover made it worse. He bit back the groan and opened his eyes, seeing MJ sitting there, a bright smile on his face, and his stuffed duck held tight in his arms.

“Hi, Daddy!” MJ said, attempting to whisper, but he hadn’t learned how to do it quietly yet. “Mommy says you need to get up because Ms. Ivy will be mad if I’m late and you need to go to work.”

“Is that so?” he asked with a smile, bracing MJ so he didn’t fall as he sat up. “Well, you know I can’t get out of bed until I get a hug. I’m all rusted without one.”

Like every time before it, Foggy found his arms filled his son, hugging him tightly. He hugged back, maybe a little bit tighter this morning after the night before.

“Are you not russed anymore?” MJ asked, pulling back and peering at him.

Foggy smiled back. “Of course, it works every time. You gotta be magic, I swear.”

MJ grinned brightly, and Foggy smiled back, ruffling his kid’s unruly blonde hair. MJ might have his build, but his looks and coloring were mostly Marci, and Foggy was more than thankful for that. People told him that MJ had his smile, but Foggy couldn’t remember smiling that unencumbered by life in a long time.

“Alright, kiddo, I’ll meet you for breakfast?”

MJ nodded, and he was gone a second later. Foggy thought about collapsing back and calling in late, but clanging in the kitchen got his attention, and he stood up and began to get ready.

He stepped into the kitchen as he finished tying the tie to find MJ putting his cheerios and raspberries in two neat little lines. He got the end and frowned, looking up. “I need one more raspberry! The cheerio needs a friend.”

Marci handed one over without comment, and MJ finished putting them in line with a smile. “There! Now they won’t get lonely in my stomach,” he said, speaking to his stuffed duck.

Foggy exchanged a smile with Marci and kissed the top of her head as he stepped past to grab a cup of coffee. He poured himself and turned, leaning against the counter, watching as MJ began to put the pairs into his mouth and chew them with gusto. Marci stood and came to lean against the bench next to him.

“You okay?” she asked, voice soft as they watched their son.

Foggy nodded. “Minus the mild hangover, yeah. You?”

Marci was silent for a long time. “A little sadder than I thought I would be,” she admitted finally. “I’m going to miss these mornings.”

“I keep telling you. I’ll run away with you if you want. You don’t need to twist my arm,” Foggy said, grinning when she rolled her eyes.

“You wish,” she said.

Foggy glanced at her, seeing the way the morning sun seemed to soften the lines of her face, the smile on her face as she watched MJ happily munch his way through his meal. She was beautiful. She had been since they were eighteen, and she would be until they were eighty. “Sometimes, I think I almost do,” he said softly.

That got her attention, and she turned, raising her eyebrows at him before her eyes narrowed. “You went to Josie’s last night, didn’t you?”

“Where else would I go?” Foggy asked.

“Someplace that isn’t a walking germ trap,” Marci muttered. “You always get melancholy when you go there.”

He knew what she wasn’t saying. He always got melancholy when he went anywhere there were strong memories of Matt. He almost cried last year when they had asked him to be the guest speaker for the law school graduates at Columbia. He shrugged and took another mouthful of his coffee. “Don’t worry, Marce. I’ll find someone and make you jealous this time.”

Marci snorted. “Daph is making me a cake for tonight.”

“For shame, a dentist with sugar?” Foggy said, gasping. “She’s a supervillain, I’m telling you.”

Foggy took the light punch on his arm with a grin, watching as Marci left to finish getting ready while he watched MJ. He grabbed a bowl and poured himself a bowl of cereal before walking over and sitting across from MJ.

“Everyone’s still got a buddy?” he asked.

MJ nodded. “They do! And Ms. Ivy said Surya is coming today as well, so I’ll have a buddy as well!”

“Good,” Foggy said, glad MJ already had a friend he was excited to see. He made a mental note to talk to Ivy, wanting to see if Surya’s parents wouldn’t mind a play date at some point.

“Who’s your buddy Daddy?” MJ asked suddenly, looking up, and Foggy smiled, ignoring the tightness in his throat.

“You know it's you, bud,” he said, reaching out to ruffle MJ’s hair again.

“I’m your _kid_ ,” MJ said, rolling his eyes badly.

“I know, that makes you my best friend. Everyone knows that. You, me, and Mommy,” Foggy said around a mouthful of cereal.

MJ shook his head. “You’re silly, Daddy.”

“Oh, am I?”

MJ nodded. “Uh-huh, your best buddy has to be your own age. Everyone knows that!”

“Do they?”

MJ nodded again. “Mommy has Auntie Alicia; Auntie Karen has Auntie Claire.”

“I thought Mommy was my best friend,” Foggy said, smiling when MJ rolled his eyes again. That move was all Marci and Foggy would always get a kick out of it.

MJ let out a gusty sigh and pinned bright eyes on Foggy. MJ was smart, smarter than he and Marci were ready to admit to, and sometimes it smacked Foggy in the face. “I know Uncle Matt is your best buddy, but he’s on vacation, so who do you have until he comes back?”

Foggy swallowed, pushing down the sadness. Neither of them had been ready to explain death to MJ when he asked why everyone called him MJ instead of just Matt. Or why the person Foggy had so many stories about wasn’t around. Telling him about his Uncle Matt had been easy. Foggy had more than enough stories about him.

“The good thing about best buddies,” Foggy said slowly as he fought to find the right words, “is that no matter how long they’re gone, they’ll always be your best buddy. Uncle Matt might be gone, but he’s always going to be my best buddy.”

MJ watched him for a long moment before he nodded. “Is that why Surya is always my best buddy even if she’s not there all the time?”

Foggy nodded. “Yep, that’s exactly right.”

MJ looked thoughtful as he ate his breakfast before he finally looked up and pinned Foggy with an entirely too somber look. “Will Uncle Matt like me when he comes back?”

“Yes,” Foggy said instantly, hating how soft MJ’s voice was right then. “He’ll love you just as much as everyone else does.”

“Promise?”

Foggy nodded. “Of course.”

“Your Uncle Matt doesn’t like everyone, but I know he’d love you,” Marci said, stepping back into the kitchen, her hair and make-up done, looking every inch the HB&C lawyer she was. Foggy smiled at her.

“See, even Mommy agrees,” Foggy said.

That seemed to be enough for MJ, and he smiled widely at both of them. “I can’t wait to meet him!”

Marci shot Foggy a look, and he bit back a grimace, knowing that they needed to tell MJ the truth, and soon.

* * *

Foggy collapsed onto the park bench with a sigh, tilting his head back and accepting the sunshine for a few moments. The courtroom had been cold, and he had fought to keep from shivering. It was still cold outsight, but the sun was warm, and he could feel it soaking into his coat and warming him. He opened his eyes, blinking at the brightness as he watched people mill about the small park.

He let himself people watch for another second before he sat up and grabbed the sandwich MJ had helped him make before he left, another in the long line of Marci’s attempts to get him to eat better. He smiled at the smiley face on the post-it note and pulled it off, sitting it against his pants leg, so he remembered to take it with him. He had quite the collection in his office these days, and adding another one always made him smile.

Someone sat down on the other end of the bench, and Foggy glanced at them, seeing they were reading before looking back out over the park as he took a bite, tuna salad with Greek yogurt and more celery than he liked but, it wasn’t the worst. He chewed and swallowed, hoping he had a breath mint somewhere.

“Excuse me,” the person beside him asked, and Foggy turned, focusing on the young man sitting there, his face earnest. "Do you have a minute?”

Foggy wanted to say no, just to keep the peace but, he nodded. “What’s up?” he asked after he had finished chewing and swallowed.

“If you could have one wish, what would it be?” the man asked, watching Foggy too intently.

“I wish there was mayo in this sandwich,” Foggy said without thinking, smiling at the man. “How come?”

The man looked at the sandwich and back up and Foggy and raised an eyebrow before going back to his book. Foggy watched him for a moment before looking back over the park, taking a bite and almost choking at the sudden taste of mayo that hadn’t been there before. He managed to chew and swallow without getting any over his suit.

He turned his head, looking at the man who had closed his book, a finger marking his page. He was watching Foggy intently. Foggy looked at the sandwich and the other man, his mind trying to reconcile what had happened. In a world full of superheroes, having more mayo in his sandwich wasn’t on the same level as Thor, but it still made him suspicious.

The young man smiled wider and held out his hand. “I’m Zohn Mosley.”

Foggy automatically reached out to shake his hand back. “Foggy Nelson.”

Zohn nodded. “I know.”

Instantly, Foggy was on edge and, he eyed the other man. “Yeah?” he asked, not wanting to assume the worst. A lot of people knew who he was because of his job. 

Zohn nodded again. “Yeah, Luke told me about you.”

That made part of Foggy relax and, he nodded. “How do you know Luke?”

Zohn was silent, watching Foggy for a second before he looked back out over the park. “If you could have one wish, an actual wish, what would it be?”

Foggy wanted to say something flippant, but he bit it back. He thought for a moment. “World peace would be nice.”

Zohn laughed. “Peace according to who?” he asked, looking back at Foggy, both eyebrows raised. “The problem with big wishes is that not everyone thinks the same as you. Small wishes, like mayo on a sandwich. They make your day better but don’t ruin anyone else’s.”

Foggy looked down at his sandwich and back up to Zohn. “Then why ask me what I want for an actual wish?”

“Curiosity,” Zohn replied, looking down at his book. Foggy could see it was an old worn cover, the edges tattered and the spine a mass of white lines. “For an article I’m writing if that makes you feel better.”

Foggy watched the man before he sighed and looked back out over the park. “Actual wish,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. He took another bite of the sandwich, enjoying it now that it had mayo in it. Matt would hate it. He hated anything with mayonnaise with a violent enough passion that Foggy often wanted to ask if he would go and punch the factory.

His smile faded at the thought of Matt. “I had this friend,” he said softly, not looking over at Zohn. “He died five years ago, saving the city from some really bad people. The world’s been a little less bright without him, at least metaphorically. There’s so much I want to tell him. I’ve got a kid, and I want him to meet his Uncle because I just know they’d get along. I want his advice sometimes with cases I’m working on because he's got a way of seeing the bad in the world and still seeing the good at its heart. I still have trouble with that sometimes. Mostly, I just miss my friend, you know? I’d want him back, more than anything some days.”

Zohn was quiet for a long time. “is that your wish?”

Foggy looked over at the man and shook his head. “No,” he said, shrugging at the surprised look. “You ever watched Buffy?”

Zohn frowned. “Uh, no?”

“Kids these days,” Foggy said, shaking his head before he sighed. “So spoiler alert, she died. And then the next season, her friends brought her back, and they think everything is good. Buffy is back! She’s saving the world. And then she’s talking to Spike, and it turns out that where she had gone, she had been happy. She had done what she meant to do, and she was happy and warm and loved. She felt complete. She was in heaven, and her friends tore her out of it, and every moment since then was painful. She thought she was in hell." 

“And you…” Zohn said, trailing off.

Foggy sighed. “Matty believed in God, in heaven and hell and all of that. He was truly devout, not a go to the church and talk about it. But he walked the path. He wanted to help people because it was the right thing to do and not for himself. He’d throw himself against a wall, bloody and broken if it meant he could save one more person. His own pain was nothing to him. If there is a Heaven, then he’s in it. I’m not devout, but for him, I believe it. I know in the depths of my soul that he’s there. And I’m not taking him away from it. I miss him more than I can properly express, but I’m not bringing him back to this hell just for me.”

“What if you’re wrong, and he's in hell?” Zohn asked, watching Foggy, eyes a little wider.

“That’s where my faith comes in,” Foggy admitted. “Because if someone like Matt couldn’t make it into heaven, then there’s no hope for the rest of us.”

Zohn leaned back against the bench and looked back out over the park. Foggy watched him for a moment before looking back out, finishing off the sandwich as life continued around him.

“A week,” Zohn said softly.

Foggy looked back at him. “A week?”

“Your friend, he gets a week, and then he gets to decide if he wants to stay or not,” Zohn said, looking back at Foggy, his dark brown eyes now golden. Part of Foggy wanted it to be a trick of the light, but he knew it wasn’t.

“What's the catch?”

Zohn frowned again. “Catch?”

“Terms and Conditions lay them out. Hidden agendas, all of it,” Foggy said. “I want to know what the catch is before I go forward with this.”

“Can’t you just accept?”

Foggy shook his head. “Nope. I’m a lawyer man and a damned good one. I know how to work out a statement. I don’t want to agree to this if something bad happens.”

Five years ago, Foggy would have agreed wholeheartedly and fuck the consequences. But he had MJ to think about now, and he wasn’t going to give his son up for the world.

Zohn sighed. “No terms, no conditions. No catches. Your friend gets one week to decide if he wants to stay or not. If he does, he gets to stay. If he doesn’t, he goes back to where he was before.”

“Do you know where he is?”

Zohn tilted his head to the side. “No. I can’t see the Afterlife. I know there are many forms of it, and for some, there isn’t one at all. But I can’t see into them."

“But you could pull someone out of it”?

Zohn hesitated. “I can.”

“Why the hesitation?” Foggy asked, smiling when Zohn shot him a look. “Lawyer.”

“I think I understand why it's Fightin’ Foggy Nelson now,” Zohn said dryly. “I would need to make an arrangement, but that is between me and the gatekeeper to wherever your friend is. It would not affect our deal.”

“Would Matt remember where he had been?” Foggy asked.

Zohn shrugged. “That, I cannot say.”

“It’s too good to be true,” Foggy said, the pessimistic part of him rearing its head even though his heart wanted to make the wish and see Matt one more time. “Why me?”

“I have a son, and I’m not allowed to see him because of my past, and I don’t blame them. I did a lot of bad things that I’m not proud of. I used my gift to do a lot of bad in the world, and I can’t take it back,” Zohn said softly. “His mother died two years ago, and he ended up in foster care like I did when I was his age. And it was hard, that life is not one I want for anyone, I lost my parents, and I was so angry, and I had nowhere to direct that anger, and with my gifts, I ended up using it for the wrong people. But he ended up at your orphanage Mr. Nelson, and he is happy and loved and well taken care of. He got the help he needed after his mother died, and he never had the chance to be filled with rage as I did. He learned to channel it into something good. He’s getting adopted next week by a family who will love him and give him the world. And it could have been so different if it wasn’t for you.”

“I just supplied the money,” Foggy said softly. “It’s the rest of them that do the hard work.”

“The unfortunate reality is that sometimes the difference between people who try and people who succeed is having the money to be able to succeed,” Zohn said. “You gave them the money to succeed, and my son isn’t the only one to benefit.”

“I’d wish for more money, but unfortunately, I do know inflation is a thing.”

Zohn grimaced. “Yes.”

Foggy sighed and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. “This seems like a big thanks, though.”

“Would you do less for your kid?”

Foggy didn’t have an answer for that and just looked away. “How does this go?”

“You make the wish, and then you have a week.”

Foggy nodded his head. “Where will he show up? He had a building dropped on top of him. What sort of condition would he be in? Will he be in a coma for a week?”

Zohn chuckled, deep and amused. “Fightin’ Foggy Nelson strikes again.”

Foggy shrugged.

“He won’t be in a coma, but I don’t think making someone appear at the part would be a good idea,” Zohn admitted. “Nor in the costume, I assume he would wear.”

Foggy sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “You know the clinic, the free one that Rand Enterprises runs?”

Zohn nodded.

“Drop him outside the doors there, in sweatpants and a sweater,” Foggy offered, grimacing. “Someone we both know is on duty today, and she’ll be able to help. It’d do him good to get a checkup anyway. And he’s been gone for five years, so that’s going to be some fancy legal footwork.”

Zohn nodded. “Do you need me to sign something?”

“Isn’t that something you’re supposed to offer?”

“I’m old school, Mr. Nelson. All I need is your word.”

Foggy looked at the park, at the people slowly leaving as they headed back to work after their lunch break. Foggy needed to go as well, he was due in court in an hour, and he had to go over the case with his assistants. “How do I wish for this? Like what do I need to say to make it happen correctly?”

“As I said, Mr. Nelson, all I need is your word. Intent matters just as much.”

Foggy nodded and drew in a deep breath. He thought about Matt, a little bloody and pale, cheekbones too prominent for his face. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he smiled, the way he’d curl up on a couch when he was cold. The smirk during court when he knew he had the jury hanging on his every word. Foggy had fallen in love at first sight with Matt, and he had never gotten over it. He never would. 

“I wish Matt was still alive.”

* * *

Somehow Foggy made his way through the court case without fucking it up or making it worse. It was the first day, and his opening remarks had gone well, but he had always found it easier to try cases where he knew the other side was guilty. He always felt guilty about that; he fully believed that everyone was innocent until proven guilty. But the man was one of the people Luke had dragged in, with information from Jessica that she had turned over to the police.

Foggy would always have issues with vigilantes, but he had learned to accept them a long time ago, and he knew that in a world with superpowers, sometimes you needed someone a little stronger than the police. Especially when the police force was only just starting to get its feet back under it in the wake of a second Fisk attempted takeover.

“Foggy!”

He turned, seeing Karen almost running towards him, her make-up smeared and her eyes wide. She looked happy, and disbelieving and Foggy felt the hope rise in his chest. He waited until she was closer before pulling her to the side, away from his team.

“Is he…?”

He trailed off, unable to give voice to the words. He didn’t know if the lunch break had been a fever dream or something else entirely. Karen’s eyes widened, and she grabbed his arm.

“How did you…?” she trailed off, her eyes narrowing. “Foggy!”

Foggy felt something similar to hope crack open his chest, and he inhaled sharply. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s Matt, right? Please tell me this is not a shitty miscommunication.”

Karen nodded, lips pursed together and eyes bright. “It is. He just stumbled into Claire’s clinic, bloody and bruised and collapsed. They got him into a bed, and she called me, she tried calling you, but you were in court. Jessica is standing guard right now.”

“He’s fine, though?” Foggy asked, his heart beating rapidly.

“Bruised, he’s got some cuts Claire had to stitch up, and she thinks he’s got a mild concussion but considering everything, he’s fine,” Karen said.

Foggy nodded, rubbing a hand over his face as his mind raced through everything that was happening. He couldn’t quite believe what was happening, that Matt was there and alive. “Fuck.”

“Can you leave?” Karen asked, her eyes boring into his, her grip tightening.

Foggy nodded his head. “Yeah, lemme….let me talk to them, and then we can go.”

He moved to step away, but Karen tightened her hand. “And you’re telling me everything," she hissed, eyes boring into him.

* * *

Foggy looked at the clinic's front entrance, feeling trepidation as he stepped out of the cab, a very quiet Karen behind him. She had listened to the story, and Foggy hadn’t spared a single detail. She knew they were working on borrowed time. Out of everyone that Matt would talk to, Karen needed to know as well.

“Did I do the right thing?” he asked when she stood next to him. “Or was it selfish?”

“Maybe, but you gave him a chance to back out,” Karen said.

Foggy snorted. “Did I? It’s Matt we’re talking about. He’ll guilt trip himself into staying if he thinks people need help.”

Karen sighed. “I would have done the same thing. I just don’t know if I would have chosen Matt or my brother.”

“Fuck, I need to call Marci,” he muttered. “Fuck, I have MJ tonight.”

“Oh, I think considering the circumstances, she won’t go out tonight. I can call her,” Karen offered.

Foggy shook his head. “No, I’ll talk to Claire and then Marci once I know what’s up with Matt.”

Karen nodded her head, and they walked into the clinic. He was unsurprised to find Claire there, arms crossed and foot tapping, a look of exasperation Foggy hadn’t seen a while on her face. 

Foggy grinned. "He’s awake then?”

“And already trying to leave,” Claire muttered, but it was without heat Foggy would bet she almost sounded fond. “Hopefully, you can talk some sense into him because I’m about to sedate him.”

Foggy sighed and followed Claire down the hall to one of the private rooms where he could hear Matt trying to talk Jessica into letting him out. He tripped, the sound of Matt’s voice a surprise, even knowing what was going to be waiting for him. He stopped outside the door as Matt fell quiet, and he had no clue what his heart was doing right then, but he imagined it was deafening.

He paused for a second before he knocked and opened the door, knowing if he waited any longer, then any courage he had would disappear. Seeing Matt felt like a blow. Even knowing he would be there, seeing him wide-eyed, face bruised and torso wrapped in bandages, he felt transported back six years ago to finding Matt bleeding out on the floor of his apartment.

“Foggy, would you tell Jessica that I’m fine and I don’t need to be here!” Matt said as soon as the door was open.

Jessica, if Foggy was stupid enough to say it out loud, was looking at Matt with something similar to fondness. Fondness overlaid with a little bit of fear, her eyes watching Matt intently. He heard Karen choke out a sob, and then she was past him, her arms wrapping around Matt and holding him tight enough he winced.

Jessica watched for a second before she walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll be outside,” she said. “I’ll let Danny and Luke know to watch out in case…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Foggy said, turning to look at her. “It’s a one-time thing.”

Jessica’s eyes narrowed, and he knew he’d be explaining it later to all of them. Some of the tension left her shoulders, and he managed a smile. 

“He’s the only one,” he said. “Don’t worry.”

He knew her past, and he didn’t want to imagine what ghosts she had been conjuring in her mind. She nodded and left, the door closing behind her. Foggy looked back at Matt, who was awkwardly patting Karen’s shoulder as she continued to cry. Foggy felt on the verge of tears as well as he walked over and perched on the other side of the bed, wanting to grab Matt's hands, but he didn’t want to disrupt the IV.

This close, he could see the panic in Matt’s brown eyes, as expressive as they always were when he didn’t have his glasses on. Foggy had never truly believed that eyes were the window to the soul until he had met Matt.

“Karen uh…I’m fine,” Matt said, sounding bewildered. “Just a little bumped and bruised.”

Karen finally pulled back, sniffing and rubbing a hand over his face. “Oh, Matt,” she said, shaking her head. 

Karen opened her mouth and then paused, unsure of what to say. She looked over at Foggy with a look of hopelessness on her face which he understood. How did you tell someone they had been dead?

“What’s wrong?” Matt asked, looking between them. “It’s not like I’m dying.”

Foggy couldn’t help the snort of laughter as he shook his head. He reached out and picked up Matt’s hand, careful of the IV in the back of it. Matt’s face was instantly worried, and Foggy hastened to reassure him. 

“No, you’re not dying,” he said softly, squeezing his hand. “But uh, buddy. It’s 2021.”

Matt frowned, shaking his head. “Nope, 2016.”

Foggy squeezed his hand. “Matt,” he said softly. “Listen to my heart right now.”

Matt frowned more but tilted his head to the side, and Foggy took a deep breath. “Five years ago, when you were under Midland Circle, the building collapsed, and you never came out. You died, and it’s been five years.”

Matt’s face went blank when Foggy finished talking, and he carefully pulled back his hand from Foggy’s grip. He wanted to hold on tighter, but he stopped himself. It was a lot to take in, and he couldn’t blame Matt for his reaction. The silence stretched, and Foggy swallowed, wondering what was going to happen next. Matt was unpredictable. He had always had been, even before Foggy had found out about Daredevil.

“Why?” Matt finally asked, his voice hoarse.

Foggy glanced over at Karen, who was still holding Matt’s hand. She looked back at him and raised her eyebrows, and Foggy blew out a breath.

“I made a wish,” Foggy admitted softly.

“A wish?”

Matt looked skeptical, and Foggy nodded. “Yeah, buddy, I made a wish for you to come back, and you did.”

Matt tilted his head to the side, eyebrows furrowed. Foggy knew Matt was listening to his heart and hearting the truth.

“I…” Matt seemed at a loss for words. “Why?”

This was the hard part, but Foggy had a week, and he wasn’t going to hold back. “Because I was selfish, and I missed my best friend more than anything.”

Matt’s face did something complicated that Foggy couldn’t name before it smoothed back out. “There’s a catch,” he said softly. “There’s always a catch.”

“Sort of,” Foggy said, reaching out for Matt’s hand again, smiling when Matt didn’t pull away. “You have a week…ah let me finish,” he said, tightening his grip when Matt tried to yank his hand away, “you have a week to decide if you want to stay. It’s up to you if you want to stay or to go back.”

“Go back?” Matt asked, confused before his face cleared, and he sighed. “Buffy.”

Foggy snorted, and it felt like some part of him that had been closed off since Matt had died cracked wide open. Karen just looked between the two of them with exasperation. “Yeah, buddy, Buffy. If you were happy and content wherever you were, I didn’t want to take that from you. But as I said, I was selfish, and I wanted you back.”

“So what? I get to choose to die again at the end of the week? Am I dead now?” Matt demanded, and Foggy winced.

“I don’t know,” Foggy replied, gripping Matt’s hand with both of his now.

“Tell me everything. The whole conversation,” Matt demanded, turning his head to look at Foggy.

So Foggy did.

* * *

He closed the door behind him as he stepped out, both hands on his hips, unsurprised to see the group there. He managed a smile at the Defenders plus add ons. Matt might have only known them for a short time, but he had made an impression, and Foggy was sure that his stories had helped as well.

“Give him a few moments,” Foggy said. “It’s a bit of a bombshell.”

He rubbed a hand over his chest as he said it, part of him still expecting to wake up and for Matt to still be dead. To still be under the building and his grave empty.

“So what happened Nelson,” Jessica demanded, her arms crossed. “He’s the only one?”

Foggy nodded. “Someone asked me if I wanted to make a wish, and this was my wish,” he explained.

“Not world peace?” Danny asked, eyebrows furrowed. “Or something like that?”

Foggy snorted. “I offered that actually, but he asked whose world peace I wanted. Which is a fair point.”

Danny looked like he wanted to argue, but Colleen’s hand on his arm stopped him, and he looked away instead. Foggy looked around, waiting for someone to say something else, but no one did. He wasn’t surprised. These days, anything seemed possible.

“Right, I need to go call Marci,” he said, looking back to where Claire was standing, her arms crossed over her chest. “Let me know if he needs anything. If he needs more than the clinic can provide, I’ll cover it.”

Claire shook her head. “No, it's fine. We’re not hurting for anything.”

She said this with a look at Danny, who shrugged unapologetically. Foggy nodded and walked further away for a bit of privacy. He smiled a little wider when he realized that Matt would still be able to hear him, but Foggy wasn’t going to hold anything back.

He leaned against the wall as the phone rang. “You better be coming home soon,” Marci said without preamble when she picked up.

“Matt’s alive.”

The silence lingered for a long time. “What?”

Marci’s voice was strangled and concerned, and Foggy let out a mirthless chuckle. “I made a fucking wish, and it came true,” he admitted.

Marci knew about Matt. He had been too upset to hold back, and he had let the whole story come out one night when they were drunk off their asses. They were pretty sure that was the night that they conceived MJ.

“Foggy,” Marci said softly before she sighed. “You owe me a night out. I’ll change your sheets.”

“Marce, he’s at the clinic right now,” Foggy said.

Marci scoffed. “Like he’ll stay there long.”

“And MJ?”

“He’ll be excited. You know he will,” Marci replied before her voice softened. “It’s no problem. He was sort of my friend as well, you know. An angry friend I hated, but he saved my life indirectly, and he saved yours, and without you, I wouldn’t have MJ. The least we can do is put him up for a while.”

Foggy smiled. “Sure I can’t convince you to stay?”

Marci snorted. “You don’t deserve me, Nelson.”

With that, she hung up, and Foggy was left smiling down at his phone. He took a few moments to get his bearings, pulling off his scarf and resting his head back against the wall. He had a lot to do, but all he could think was that Matt was alive in the hospital room.

Matt was alive.

Foggy let out a strained bark of laughter and dropped his head down, pressing a hand over his face as he fought back the tears. He didn’t know if it was happiness, stress, or sadness right then. The week loomed in front of him, long and complicated, and Foggy already felt overwhelmed. He didn’t want to force Matt to stay, but he wanted him to stay so badly he could feel it like an ache in his bones. Even if it was only as his friend, he wanted Matt around.

“Foggy?”

Karen’s hand was on his arm, and he raised his head, managing a weak smile. “Hey, something up?”

Karen nodded. “He wants to go, and Claire says he’s fine enough, but he doesn’t…”

“Marci says he can stay with us for now,” Foggy interrupted. “She's changing the sheets on my bed.”

“MJ?”

Foggy shrugged. “Fuck, I don’t even know about that,” he admitted. “Marci says it’s okay, and we had been talking about…you know, telling him. But now I don’t know.”

Karen nodded and didn’t say anything else, hooking her arm through his as they walked back to where Matt’s room was. Most everyone was gone now, and he looked at Claire, who was waiting with crossed arms, looking both happy and exasperated still.

“Where did everyone go?”

“Everyone said hi, thank you, and left,” Claire explained with exasperation. “It’s easier to deal with a memory than the actual person.”

Foggy nodded. “He wants to leave”?

Claire nodded again. “Yeah. I don’t know where—”

“He can come stay with Marce and me,” Foggy interrupted. “If he wants.”

Claire looked at him for a long moment before she nodded her head. “I’ll get a list of things to watch out for.”

Foggy nodded. Claire left, and Karen smiled at him, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “I’ll go grab some clothes and meet you at your place.”

Foggy nodded again, and then he was alone staring at a door that held a lot of things he had never thought he would have again. He inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a second before exhaling and walking into Matt’s room. He wasn’t surprised to find Matt staring at him, eyebrows furrowed.

“So?” Foggy asked, spreading his hands to the side, assuming Matt had heard most of everything he had said.

Matt tilted his head to the side, not saying anything for a long moment. “Who’s MJ?”

Foggy felt his heart do something, and he swallowed, arms dropping down to the side and walking over. Anyone else he would pull out his phone and show off the hundreds of photos he had of MJ, but Matt was blind. It was a good thing Foggy was good with words.

He walked over and dropped down. “My son,” he said without preamble.

Matt hadn’t been moving much to begin with, but he stilled, his whole body suddenly one live wire. Foggy just watched him, waiting for Matt to give any indication of anything. Finally, Matt swallowed, his eyes wide.

“Your son?” he asked, his voice hoarser than it had been before.

Foggy nodded. “Yeah, he’s four. Almost five. Matthew Alexander Stahl-Nelson, we just call him MJ.”

“Matthew,” Matt repeated, his eyes wide.

“Like it would be anything else,” Foggy said softly. “Marci suggested it, not me. I was aiming for a middle name. The Alexander is for her Dad.”

Matt looked a little bit dazed as he nodded his head. “Oh. Uh, that’s uh. Wow. A kid?”

Foggy nodded and smiled. “Yeah. He’s pretty great, not what I expected at all, but still amazing.”

Matt nodded and kept nodding and nodding and nodding, and Foggy frowned, reaching out, a hand gripping Matt’s arm. “Matty?” he asked softly.

Matt stopped, his head dropping forward and a hand coming up to press against his eyes. “Five years,” he said, voice breaking. “Fuck, it’s been five years.”

Foggy had been trying to keep his distance, not wanting to crowd Matt, but he was up in an instant, arms wrapping around his best friend and holding him. Matt collapsed against him, face pressed against his shoulder. Matt didn’t sob. He didn’t make any noise, but Foggy could feel water slowly seep through his jacket and shirt, and he still held him.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Foggy said softly, realizing that it was all suddenly hitting Matt. “It’s fine.”

Matt shook his head but didn’t say anything and so Foggy just continued to hold him, one hand carding through his hair, making shushing noises like he did when MJ had a bad dream. Finally, Matt finished, and he pulled back, eyes red and swollen and his face a mess. Foggy clucked his tongue and used his sleeve to wipe at his face. It needed a wash anyway.

“Shit, Fogs, you have a kid,” Matt said, collapsing back to the pillows with a groan. “A kid!”

Foggy nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, unable to pull away now that he was closer. He had ever been able to pull himself away from Matt’s orbit, and he wasn’t going to start now. 

“Yeah,” he said, biting back the rest of his words.

About how he wished Matt had been there, with the rest of them when MJ had been born into the world, screaming and crying. How he wished Matt had been there when they had found out, or after he was born and Foggy needed someone to freak out with. There were so many moments in the past five years where all he wanted was his best friend by his side.

“I missed a lot,” Matt said, knowing what Foggy was going to say anyway.

He couldn’t lie to Matt. “Yeah.”

Matt nodded his head. “I heard you talking to Claire. I uh…Marci won’t mind?”

“Didn’t you hear me on the phone with her?” Foggy asked.

Matt shook his head, a hand running through his hair. “No, everyone was talking to me, saying hi and stuff. It was weird. I didn’t re3ally know most of them, not really you know?”

Foggy nodded. “I know, but I do, and you know you used to be my favorite topic.”

“Used to be?” Matt asked, tensing slightly.

“I got a kid now, but don’t worry, you’re a close second,” Foggy said, the tension was gone immediately.

“And Marci?”

“Won’t mind, it was her idea,” Foggy explained. “You’ll have to kip with me, though, so I hope you don’t mind.”

Matt frowned, and Foggy realized he had just assumed that Matt had known what everyone else did, and he bit back a sigh.

“We are actually separated,” Foggy explained. “Well, technically, we are as of like four days ago, but it had been a long time coming. She met someone, and I’m never going to stand in the way of true love. We just live together because of MJ. Or we did. She’s moving out soon.”

Matt nodded. “Ah.”

Foggy sighed, knowing the ah for what it was. “Matty,” he said, waiting until Matt tilted his head, his sign for ‘I’m listening.’ “It’s a lot to take in, so if you need me to shut up at any point, just tell me.”

Matt was silent for a long moment before looking down and nodding. “Okay,” he said softly. “How’s HB&C?”

Foggy sighed. “Wouldn’t know buddy, ask Marci when I get you home,” he said, standing up. “C’mon, Karen’s gonna meet us there. You look like you could use a shower.”

He was trying to move the conversation away from his job, not wanting to overwhelm Matt again, and from the look on Matt’s face, he knew exactly what he was doing. Foggy was glad when Matt let it go for the moment. He waited for Matt to say something, but just nodded and went to find Claire when Matt just sat, staring at his hands.

* * *

“You look like what the cat dragged in,” Marci said without preamble, opening the door before Foggy could even reach for his keys. "And then ate it, threw it up, and then ate it again."

Matt smiled. “Marci,” he said, his hands crossed over his chest and face still an open book without his glasses. “Good to hear you.”

Marci watched him for a second before she stepped out and wrapped Matt in a hug so quickly Foggy was sure he was hallucinating. “Good to see you,” she said, stepping back. “Now come in, you stink, and I need to go pick up my kid. You’ve got an hour before we’re back. Karen’s inside with clothing and stuff.”

“I’ll order pizza for dinner,” Foggy said, smiling gratefully at Marci, who rolled her eyes.

“I already ordered food, Foggy-bear. We’ll pick it up on the way home,” she said, kissing his cheek before walking down the stairs.

“You’re a goddess Marce,” Foggy called after her before ushering Matt back into the townhome. 

Karen was sitting in the living room, bags by her feet. A lot of bags, and he raised an eyebrow at her, which she just returned, chin lifting as if to dare him. He didn't dare.

“I got you some clothes,” she said, standing and walking to hug Matt. “Foggy can show you where the shower is.”

“You’re the third person who told me to shower,” Matt said, cracking a small smile. “I’m starting to get offended.”

“Not as bad during finals at college but a close second,” Foggy said, beginning to usher Matt towards the bathroom. 

He stepped in and glanced around, glad when he didn’t see anything Matt could trip over. He took a second to rearrange the bottles to what Matt had done when they lived together before turning. “Hot waters on the left. It heats up fast, so be wary of it.”

Matt nodded, his head tilting as he looked around the room, eyes still wide. Foggy waited for him to say something, but he just nodded when Matt didn’t say anything. “Towels are on your left, take as long as you want, okay?

Matt nodded again, and Foggy smiled, moving to walk away. Matt gripped his arm, stopping him and pulling him into a tight hug. He didn't fight, his arms wrapping around Matt, holding him just as tightly as Matt was holding him. Foggy found it hard to let go, and Matt didn’t seem inclined to let go either.

Finally, he forced himself to let go and step back, swallowing and letting out a long sigh. “I’ll be in the living room,” Foggy said, and Matt nodded.

“Okay.”

Foggy closed the door behind him, waiting until he heard the sound of the shower running before he walked back to the living room, finding Karen sitting on the floor, eyes wet with tears as she took tags off the clothes she had bought. Foggy grabbed two beers from the kitchen before joining Karen, sitting next to her and handing her a beer. He leaned back and sighed, taking a long swig. 

“I hope I got the right size,” she muttered, rolling the bottle between her hands. “I might have gotten too much.”

Foggy shrugged. “It’ll fit. If not, he can borrow something for the night.”

Karen nodded, draining her beer in one go. “I’m so mad at you right now,” she whispered. “And I wasn’t before. Because I was so excited and now…”

“Now we don’t know,” Foggy said just as softly. Neither of them wanted Matt to overhear and to guilt him into staying. “I’m mad at me too.”

Karen nodded and rubbed a hand over her face. “I didn’t get him glasses,” she said suddenly, about to stand up when Foggy reached out to stop her.

“I have some,” Foggy admitted, draining his beer. “After he…I uh….well. I kept them,” he said softly, thinking about the box in his room that had so many memories in it. “And the canes. I just couldn’t get rid of them.”

Karen sat back down with a nod, understanding. It had taken a year of them paying for Matt’s apartment before they had given up and packed it up, letting it go back on the market. Only to sit empty ever since. Between the roof access in Hell’s Kitchen and the neon light outside that wasn’t going anywhere, no one wanted it. Foggy kept an eye on it, some part of him always wondering if Matt would come back eventually. There had been no body, so there had been no way to tell, and Foggy had a hard time letting go.

They sat in silence, both of them lost in thought until Foggy heard the water turn off, and he stood up, holding out a hand for the pile of clothes Karen gathered up for him. He walked back to the door and knocked on it. “Matt, we’ve got some clothes for you.”

The door opened, and Matt stood there, a towel around his hips and looking miles better without blood and dirt on him. He looked alive. Skin flushed red from the heat and water beading on his skin. It hit Foggy like a hammer between the eyes that he might only have one more week with his friend, and he swallowed back the sob that threatened to come out.

“I uh, last room on the left is mine,” Foggy said. “I have your glasses. I’ll leave them on the dresser. Me and Karen will be in the living room whenever you want to come talk.”

Matt took the clothes with a soft thanks, the door sliding shut with a soft snick. Foggy looked at the door for a second before he went, finding the box he kept on the top of his dresser, his fingers running over the wood embossed with the blind justice on one side and an angel on the other.

He had found it at an antique fair that Marci had dragged him to one Saturday morning a year after the building collapsed. He had taken one look at it and bought it, and when he had gotten back to his place, had placed Matt’s glasses in it, along with other mementos. Photos of the two of them, the key to their first office, the napkin he had designed their sign on while drinking at Josie's. Little memories from their friendship. 

The sign was in his office where he could see it, along with his diplomas. It was a constant reminder to always protect people who needed it.

The empty grave was hard to visit, so he had made his own memorial and filled with memories of their friendship. Slowly he opened the box and pulled out the glasses, setting them on the dresser before closing the box. 

He ran a finger over the rim of the glasses, the red catching the light, and he bowed his head, wondering if it was too late to start praying now. He inhaled deeply headed back to the living room to drop onto the floor next to Karen.

They didn’t have to wait long, the sound of the door opening and soft footsteps retreating before they came back. Matt appeared, dressed in jeans and a black sweater, glasses perched on his nose. For a second, it felt like no time had passed. Matt’s hair was finger-combed into an attempt at something neat, and his cheeks still flushed from the shower.

“Lookin’ good, Murdock,” Foggy said before he could stop himself.

Matt smiled and walked over, dropping down to sit between them, his knees drawn up. Foggy shifted, moving closer, and he heard Karen move as well, the two of them boxing him in. Foggy wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t know how to start a conversation.

“You know when I was in the building, I had time to get out,” Matt said softly, and Foggy stilled. “But Elektra was there, and I wanted her to come back so badly that I stayed. I stayed, and we fought, and I tried to convince her, and I almost got through to her. But then the bombs went off, and after that...”

Matt trailed off with a shrug. “It was warm, comfortable,” he admitted softly, and Foggy felt his heart catch. “But I remember being anxious and so mad. Just so fucking angry that everything else seemed dim in response. And then I heard Claire’s heartbeat, so I ran towards it, and that’s when I ended up in the clinic.”

Foggy swallowed, not sure what he could say to that. He felt Matt lean against him, and he reached out, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly. “I’m sorry,” he said, feeling ashamed and selfish and so many things. 

He had known the wish had been selfish, but to hear Matt put it out there, made something catch in his chest, and he wanted to take back the whole day.

“Why?” Matt asked, turning towards him with a frown. It was harder to read Matt when he had his glasses, and Foggy wished he knew what his friend was thinking, but he looked so much more like himself he didn't mind.

“For bringing you back,” he explained. “It was selfish, and I’m sorry.”

He didn’t want Matt to go. He wanted him to stay and live and come to work for him at the DA’s office so he could have someone on his back that he trusted. He wanted Matt to be there as MJ got older, be the Uncle that Matt always should have been from day one. Foggy glanced over at Karen, who was holding onto Matt’s other arm, her fingers gripping the fabric of his sweater tight enough her knuckles were white, her eyes wide and bright with unshed tears.

“No, Fogs, listen,” Matt said softly. “I wasn’t Buffy. I wasn’t complete. I wasn’t at peace. I was pissed off because I had stayed and died waiting for someone who might not have been able to be saved. And I didn’t want to die. Shit, that was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to live, but I wanted to save Elektra, and I died trying to do it. I was angry, Fogs because I had so much stuff I wanted to do. I had plans. I know you both thought I was suicidal, and all my focus was on Daredevil, but I had things I wanted to do.”

Matt fell silent, and it lingered for a second before he shook his head. “And now I find out I’ve missed so much, so much good stuff, and I don’t want to miss anymore.”

Foggy felt something like hope, and Karen’s little gasp told him he wasn’t hallucinating. He swallowed, afraid to ask and Matt shrugged, still reading his mind after five years.

“I uh, I’m staying. I don’t know what I need to say or do to make it official, but I’m staying.”

A door slammed, loud and echoing, and all three of them flinched. Foggy frowned, half expecting to see Marci and MJ wander down the corner, but there were no other sounds he would have expected. 

I uh….” Foggy said. “I think the door just closed on going back?”

Nothing happened for a moment before Matt nodded, looking satisfied. “Good.”

Karen let out a sob, and suddenly she was hugging Matt, one hand reaching out to pull Foggy into the hug. He went, arms wrapping around both of them, feeling his own eyes burn a little bit with unshed tears. Foggy didn’t know how long they sat like that before they finally pulled away, and he rubbed at his face with his sleeve again, feeling a sort of hope he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Good,” he said hoarsely. “Good.”

The front door opened, and Foggy heard little feet running, and he smiled when MJ rounded the corner, and a few seconds later, MJ jumped into his arms. 

“Hi, Daddy!” MJ said brightly, wrapping his small arms around Foggy’s neck and holding him tightly. “I missed you at school today! Mommy said you were with some friends and I’m glad because I was with mine and we had a lot of fun. Ms. Ivy says that I gotta take a nap, but I don’t wanna because there’s things to do!”

Foggy grinned, letting MJ’s ramblings wash over him as he always did. No matter how bad his day was, ending it seeing his kid always made it better. “Hey buddy,” he said, waiting for MJ to take a breath before interrupting.

“Yep?”

MJ smiled at him, and Foggy smiled back, jerking his head to the side where Matt was sitting, frozen. “Wanna meet your Uncle Matt?”

MJ blinked at him, his mind taking a second to catch up before all of a sudden Matt got the experience of 40 pounds of kid jumping on top of him and wrapping his arms around his neck tightly. “Uncle Matt!”

MJ’s voice was loud, and Matt winced, his head jerking away slightly. “Uh, hi there. It’s nice to meet you.”

That was all MJ needed before he started talking, words spilling out and tripping over themselves in excitement. “We have the same name! I’m Matthew as well! Matthew Alexander Stahl-Nelson, but you can call me MJ because you’re Uncle Matt, and it’s your name as well.”

Foggy bit back a smile as he extricated himself to stand up, leaving Matt with wide eyes as his kid did what any self-respecting Nelson did. Talk endlessly. Karen grinned at him but didn’t move, watching as MJ switched topics from names to what he had done at school, still holding onto Matt’s neck tightly. From the slight wince now and again, Foggy assumed that Matt was also getting well acquainted with how much kids’ feet could hurt when they stood on you.

He watched the scene for a moment and took out his phone, snapping a photo, unashamed. He had five years of photos to catch up on. He ignored the slightly panicked look on Matt’s face and walked to help Marci in the kitchen.

“How’s he doing?” Marci asked as soon as he stepped inside.

She was unpacking the food she had brought, Chinese from the looks of it, and Foggy walked over and started to set the table for five.

“Being bombarded by our kid,” Foggy said, feeling something happy and joyous in his chest, and he knew it was on his face because the look Marci gave him was exasperated.

She rolled her eyes. “He’s staying?”

Foggy nodded. “Yeah, Christ. I don’t even know where to start after today.”

“Gonna have to be one hell of a story,” Marci muttered, and Foggy nodded his head as he began to get drinks for everyone. He looked up as Karen stepped into the room, smiling widely.

“You left him alone with the tornado?” Marci asked, but she was grinning.

Karen looked up as she leaned against the doorframe. “MJ is telling Matt about everything he did today,” he explained. “And ate, and saw, and some smells he smelled.”

“Matt has spent more than one holiday with the Nelson’s. He should know how to handle it,” Foggy said, waving a hand before he groaned. “Oh fuck I’m going to have to tell Mom that Matt’s around.”

“We’re going to have to tell a lot of people that,” Karen reminded him. “I’m thinking coma?”

“He looks too healthy to have been in a coma,” Foggy muttered. “He looks like he always did. What about…”

Foggy trailed off, looking at Karen and Marci, hoping they had an answer. Neither of them did, and he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Mommy!” MJ’s voice was loud, and footsteps sounded, and Foggy grinned, watching as MJ dragged Matt into the room.

Matt was looking a little shellshocked, and Foggy decided to take pity on his friend and walked over, picking up MJ. “C’mon, let's wash up for dinner.”

“But Dad! Uncle Matt has never had strawberry milk! I gotta show him!”

MJ tried to wiggle to get out, but Foggy just held him tighter. “He can try some after dinner. Let’s go.”

He caught the grateful look Matt shot him as he headed down the hallway, letting MJ’s chattering soothe him.

* * *

He closed the door to MJ’s room softly and walked back to the living room where the other three were sprawled out. “He’s out like a light,” he said, dropping into the armchair.

“Is he always that energetic?” Matt asked softly, rubbing one hand over his face. “And loud?”

“Yes, to the energy, yes to the loud, but it's worse because he was excited to meet you,” Marci explained. “He’d wanted to meet for a while, and we hadn’t quite figured out how to tell him you’d died Murdock. So thank you for not making us have to do that.”

Matt managed a weak smile. “You’re welcome,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think.”

Marci stood up and stretched with a groan. “I’ve got an early client, so I’m heading to bed. You’re taking MJ in tomorrow.”

Foggy nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got him.”

She kissed his cheek, and then she was gone, footsteps echoing down the hall. They paused for a second, checking on MJ before they continued down and into her room. 

Karen stood up and stretched with a sigh. “I’ve got to get home. Frank’ll be there soon,” she said.

Matt’s head whipped around, but he didn’t say anything, just watched Karen, who smiled and leaned down to hug Matt again, kissing his cheek. “Ask MJ about his Uncle Frankie.”

Matt nodded, looking a little dumbfounded. “Okay.”

Karen nodded. “I’ll be back tomorrow. We can figure out where to go from there.”

Matt nodded again, hugging her back this time when she darted in for another one. Foggy stood and walked Karen to the door, hugging her after she put on her coat. He didn’t need to say anything; they just smiled at each other. The day felt unreal, and parts of Foggy still felt like he would wake up soon. She kissed his cheek, and then she was gone, hailing a cab. He watched long enough to make sure she got in it before he closed the door and locked it.

He turned, jumping a little bit when he saw Matt leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over chest.

“He’s great,” Matt said softly. “MJ.”

Foggy grinned. “He’s fantastic. I know it’s gotta be hard knowing you’re my second favorite now.”

He was teasing and was rewarded when Matt grinned at him.

“As long as you’re okay with me liking your kid a lot more than I like you,” Matt replied softly.

“Nah, I’m used to that now,” Foggy said, walking closer. He stopped in front of Matt and looked at him. “Tired?”

Matt nodded. “Where are the blankets?”

“None of that,” Foggy said, tugging on Matt’s sleeve. “I’ve got a queen bed now. We can both fit.”

“Oh, a _Queen bed_ , moving up in the world,” Matt said, following him with a laugh. “You sure?”

Foggy nodded. “Yeah, you were dead. I think that entitles you to a real bed.”

Matt was silent as they walked down the hallway to his room, and Foggy shut the door when Matt was inside. “I’ve got some old sweatpants and stuff you can borrow if you want. I don’t think Karen got you any sleeping clothes.”

Matt crossed his arms over his chest again and nodded, his head tilting from side to side as he took in the room. Foggy let him and grabbed an older pair of his sweats and a t-shirt, both worn soft with age and hopefully not too offensive to Matt’s nose. He handed them over, nodding at the quiet thank-you he got before he changed into his PJ's. The two of them worked in silence to get ready for bed, and the only words exchanged were when Matt asked after a toothbrush.

Foggy crawled into bed finally and let out a sigh. “Minty fresh at last,” he murmured, feeling the bed dip as Matt got in the other side.

The silence stretched, and Foggy finally rolled to his side, unable to let the silence grow. “I’m glad,” he said softly. “That you stayed. Even if it means you’re going to be woken up by feet in your stomach.”

“MJ?” Matt asked.

Foggy nodded. “Yeah, he wakes up early, so get used to it.”

Matt nodded, still staring at the ceiling, his arms crossed over his chest. Foggy watched him, the rise and fall of his chest, and couldn’t believe for the nth time that day that Matt was there, and he was alive. Matt finally turned his head and rolled, facing Foggy. It was hard to make out his expression in the dark, and Foggy wondered what Matt saw right then. In his world of fire.

“Fogs?” Matt said finally, his voice breaking slightly.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” Matt said, inhaling sharply. “Thank you for missing me enough to wish me back.”

Foggy swallowed and reached out, tugging Matt close enough that he could wrap an arm around him and hug him tightly. He rolled, pulling Matt with him until they curled together, Matt’s face against his neck and pressed up against his side. He felt Matt’s arm wrap around his waist and hold him tightly.

“There was nothing else I wanted,” Foggy said softly.

Matt’s arm tightened around him, and Foggy tightened his in response.

“I just wanted my best friend back.”


End file.
